Beer launched in memory of Abergavenny soldier

A BEER was officially launched in the name of an Abergavenny-based charity this week.

The Welsh Warrior Ale was created in aid of Welsh Warrior –the Richard Hunt Foundation and launched to coincide with Armed Forces Week.

The charity was set up in memory of Private Richard Hunt who was the 200th soldier to be killed after serving with the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh in Afghanistan in 2009. Pte Hunt died aged 21 after being wounded by an explosion in Helmand.

His friends and family set up the charity in his memory in 2010 to help Welsh service personnel and those attached to the Welsh regiments including their families. The Richard Hunt Foundation works to provide grants for items such as specialised equipment to short breaks and to raise awareness of servicemen and women injured physically and or mentally. The ale, created and brewed by Ed and Tori Biggs, at their Tintern-based micro-brewery Kingstone Brewery, was first sold at the first Welsh Warrior festival in 2010. It was such a success that brewery re-launched it. In just a few weeks of production 1,200 bottles have been sold at £2.50 in independent shops, pubs as well as at the brewery.

Pte Hunt’s mother Hazel Hunt said: “We produced a run of it for the first festival and it was a best seller so we decided to have it at the second festival. It sold so well that they started producing it again at the brewery.”

“It’s nice to know that we are supporting a small local business and Ed and his brewer Mark Gardner were very dedicated in showing us every stage of the process,” added Mrs Hunt of Abergavenny.

Mr Biggs said: “It was specially created for the charity. It was extremely popular and everyone enjoyed it so much we have gone into full production, with a percentage of the proceeds from the sale going to the charity.”

Mr Biggs describes the honey-coloured ale as having a smooth flavour, bitter character and a tangy core with 4.2percent alcohol.

“We are extremely pleased with it and will keep it on a continuous roll, adding to our eight different beers”, he added. “It is always nice to be able to help charities and this goes towards a very good local cause, helping soldiers and their families.”

The charity’s chairman of trustees, Father Mark Soady, said: “The brewery asked us to if we would like them to support the charity. We welcomed it because we welcome support from everyone.”

In 2012, a new cider was launched by the charity with the help of the Welsh cider and perry company Gwynt y Ddraig based in Pontypridd with proceeds from the sale of the cider going directly to the charity. Visit www.welshwarrior.co.uk